The present invention relates to a novel composition of matter comprising a herbicide which may be produced by fermentation. It also relates to the method for its production and to the novel microorganism used in its production.
The closest prior art of which we are aware is the herbicidal compound known as Rubratoxin B [M. O. Moss et al., J. Amer. Chem. Soc. (C), 1971, 619; and G. Buchi et al., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., (1970), 92, 6638], which may be represented by the formula (A): ##STR2##
This is believed to have a herbicidal activity similar to that of the compounds of the present invention [F. G. Bondarevskaya et al., Fitotoksich. Svoistva Poshv. Mikrooganizmov., 1978, 205-12].
In accordance with the present invention, we have now discovered a novel compound which has a herbicidal activity significantly better than that of Rubratoxin B.